The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce the solicitation of quotations from organizations and libraries to design and conduct projects that will improve access to HIV/AIDS-related health information for patients, the affected community, and their caregivers.

Projects must involve one or more of the following information access categories:

Information retrieval

Skills development

State-of-the-art resources

Resource development

Document access

Emphasis is placed upon the following types of organizations or arrangements for developing these programs:

Community-based organizations (CBOs) or patient advocacy groups currently providing HIV/AIDS-related services to the affected community

Public libraries serving communities in the provision of HIV/AIDS-related information and resources

Health departments or other local, municipal, or state agencies working to improve public health

"The annual number of new HIV infections in the United States -- about 56,000 -- has remained fairly constant for more than a decade. That's right, 56,000 people are infected in this country every year. Clearly, our efforts at HIV prevention have been insufficient. Drastic action and new approaches are urgently needed.

"Vaccines have historically been mankind's best weapon against the worst infectious diseases. But HIV's unique and formidable nature has presented challenges to the development of an effective vaccine. Although we remain committed to the research necessary to find a preventive HIV vaccine, a licensed product is not likely to be available in the near future.

"In the absence of a vaccine, three bold new approaches to controlling the HIV/AIDS pandemic are being discussed by those working in medicine and public health. These approaches are still in the conceptual and testing phases, but if applied as a group, it's possible they could have a dramatic effect."